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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Census Sunday! Horray! Happy to see this has been picked up Geneabloggers. This re-post give you an example of a Census Sunday discovery.

Nathaniel Gardner, b 21 July 1882 NY – 7 December 1944 NY, was my maternal grandfather.
He was born in New York City where he lived until 1940. My mother was in high
school when he died so I never had the opportunity to meet him.

I
have found him in old letters he wrote to my grandmother; in faded photographs
showing him with my mother’s baby carriage; in city directories, and in census
records.

1905 NYS Census Nathaniel Gardner

In the 1905 N.Y.S. Census my grandfather is listed twice. He is listed at East 87th
Street in Manhattan with his parents, Louis [Leopold] and Fannie Gardner, and
his siblings, Florence, Moses and Albert. This shows Nathan to be 19 years old
and a telegrapher. [1905 NYS Census, NY Co, Manhattan, ED 13, AD 30, Block A,
Pg8]

He
is also listed as living at East 188th Street in the Bronx. He was a
boarder with Eugene Archer. He was 23 and a telegraph operator. [1905 NYS
Census, NY Co, Bronx, ED 52, AD 25, Page 16]

I
believe both of these are my grandfather. His parents were indeed Leopold &
Fannie Gardner. The names of his siblings are correct. He was actually 23 years
old and a telegraph operator. He was certainly old enough to live on his own,
as a boarder. Nathaniel worked in various Western Union offices over the years,
sometimes in the Bronx. I think he moved in the days the census takers were
collecting information and was counted twice.

Friday, March 29, 2013

There are many obstacles that come between us and our research: missing documents or census records, archives with limited hours, limits on the time we have to pursue our passion. When it all comes together and you have, at long last, an opportunity to write your family's story there can still be problems. You can see my problem in these photos. I am happy that our cat, Coco, likes to keep me company. Maybe she'd like to be an editor. However, she comes between me & my research when she decides to nap on my sources!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thanks to Charlie Purvis who gave me the Liebster Award. I enjoy visiting his blog: Carolina Family Roots. We have discovered that we are distant cousins & we met recently! Thanks, cousin!

Rules: 1. Thank the blogger who presented you with the Liebster Award, and link back to his or her blog. 2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator; list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for your nominees. 3. Present the Liebster Award to 11 bloggers, who have blogs with 200 followers or less, whom you feel deserve to be noticed. Leave a comment on the blogs letting the owners know they have been chosen. 4. Upload the Liebster Award image to your blog.

Answers to the 11 questions Charlie asked me:

1. What is your most notable achievement, thus far, in life? Professionally that would be receiving the Elizabeth Ann Seton Teacher of the Year Award when I was teaching first grade in a small Catholic school.

2. What part has your education played in this achievement? I have Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education.

3. What was your most “serendipity” moment in your genealogical research? I was visiting Ohio to research my maternal; grandmother’s lines. I went into the Wayne County Library and introduced myself to the librarian explaining what I was looking for. She said I had to meet her husband. He had been researching the Ritter family line for many years. He is my third cousin, once removed. We met that evening and are still in touch.

4. Have you encountered any “brick walls” in your research? If so, were you able to resolve your brick wall? There are always branches where I want to learn more or move further back in time but basically I think I need to educate myself more before I can answer my own questions. If I still can’t learn more that would be a brick wall.

5. Have you ever attended a National Genealogical Society Family History Conference? No. I have only been to one conference, for the Ohio Genealogical Society.

6. Do you do most of your research on-line or do your travel to courthouses and archives to do research? I prefer to travel to archives, courthouses & local libraries but when I cannot travel I use the internet.

7. Is your family research centralized to one location or spread over several states? My family roots spread across several states & countries.

8. How important is the Genealogical Proof Standard in your research and does your database meet that requirement? I’d like to know more about the Genealogical Proof Standard; how it came to be & why this is the form we should use.

9. Do you have an on-line tree? Is it public or private? The trees in my Family Tree Maker are private. Lines that I want to share are on my web site.

10. Do you intend to publish your research at some point in the future? Yes. I have written a book on my paternal grandmother’s family & have begun on another book.

11. Have you participated in any DNA testing to resolve difficult genealogical stumbling blocks? Were the results beneficial to your research? Not yet. I would like to at some time.

11 Random Facts about Me:

1. I plant a vegetable garden with tomatoes, garlic & herbs each year. 2. I don’t have any sisters but I have three brothers. 3. I like to make birthday cards for friends & family. 4. We have three children; no two live in the same state. 5. I am a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and have been a scout since I was a Brownie. 6. Maeve Binchy & Elizabeth Berg are a couple of my favorite authors. 7. I had walked beaches on both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans. 8. I’ve been to several islands in the Caribbean and French Polynesia. 9. Quilting, genealogy, photography & reading are favorites of mine. 10. My husband & I take ballroom dance classes. 11. I love my family!

11 Questions for my nominees:

1. Do you have a favorite family branch? Which one?

2. What location [state or country] have you found easiest to research? 3. What location [state or county] have you found to be very difficult to research? 4. What location, associated with your research, would you like to visit? 5. Is there anyone in your family who may want to become the family’s next genealogist? 6. What message[s] or tip[s] would you give your family’s next genealogist? 7. Who is the best person in your family for sharing stories of the past? 8. Do you have a funny genealogy tale to share? 9. How do you balance genealogy & other hobbies/pastimes? 10. Would you like to write a genealogy book?

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Originated
from The Accidental Genealogist in honor of National Women’s History
Month.March 27 prompt: Do you know the
immigration story of one of your female ancestors?

In
1738 Johan Adam Dick [1709 – 1785] & his wife, Anna Ottilla Knack [1711 –
1782], left Germany for the United States. They had three daughters, Elisabeth
Margretha [b 1732], Maria Christina [b 1734] and Maria Juliana [b 1736]. They
were passengers on the ship Rob & Alice from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. During
the voyage a fourth daughter was born. Appollonia Dick [1738 – 1791] was born
at sea. Anna must have been a very strong woman to leave her home and family
behind in Germany; give birth on board the ship; and set up a new home in the
wilderness of Pennsylvania with her four little girls. She had three more
children born in Pennsylvania.

Appollonia
grew up in Pennsylvania. She married Johan Jonas Wolf in 1761 & they had
ten children.

Selected
Sources:

·Wolfe, J. Arthur. Jonas Wolf of
Berwick Township, York County, Pennsylvania: A History and Genealogy of a
Colonial Ancestor and Some of His Descendants. Privately Published: 1987. Copy
of book owned by York County Heritage Trust, 250 East Market Street, York,
Pennsylvania.

·Young, Henry James. Genealogical
Reports for The Historical Society of York County: Evidences of the Wolf
Families of York County before the Year 1850, 1938. From York County Heritage
Trust, 250 East Market Street, York,

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I was at the beach in South Carolina for two weeks enjoying the sunrises, walking on the beach, grilling on the deck and relaxing. But I was haunted by the proximity of libraries. My family was here in the early days, before South Carolina was a state.

So I tore myself away from the ocean for an afternoon and drove to Orangeburg County for a visit to the library. My Ott branch had lived in the county beginning c 1738. I also planned to look for Brumfields & Browns who lived nearby.

The library is at 510 Louis street. The website says: “Local History & Genealogy. An extensive collection of these materials is available at the Orangeburg County Library. In addition, we also provide access to online tools such as ProQuest's Ancestry.com utility.” I emailed the library to discover which of the library’s branches had these materials. They quickly replied that I wanted to visit the main branch at 510 Louis Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115.

I had no trouble finding the library. Inside the large library there is a glass enclosed area that houses the genealogy & history materials. I spoke to a librarian who gave me a quick tour of the materials there. He also checked on the library’s system to see if there were any books on the Ott family. He said there were not. I found out later that he was wrong.

I settled in and looked through each shelf of books in the room. I checked county histories, cemetery books, books of marriage records, books of pension lists, etc.

I also found items for the Ott family: · 1850 Federal Census Index; Orangeburg County, South Carolina. · Calhoun County Historical Commission, United States Heads of Families of the First Census Taken in 1790. St. Matthews, South Carolina: Orangeburg County Free Library, 1954. · Clemens, William Montgomery. North and south Carolina Marriage Records from the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1927. · Jarrell, Lawrence E. Early Orangeburgh South Carolina Census. High Point, North Carolina: Alligator Creek Publications, 1998. · Jarrell, Lawrence E. 1820 Orangeburgh South Carolina Census. High Point, North Carolina: Alligator Creek Publications, 1998. · Miller, Floyd W., and Peggy Ann Easterling. 1860 South Carolina Census; Orangeburg District. · Sally, Jr., A. S. The History of Orangeburg County, South Carolina; From Its Settlement to the Close of the Revolutionary War. Orangeburg, S. C. : R. Lewis Berry, Printer, 1898. · Teeples, G. Ronald, Ronald Vern Jackson, and Richard Moore. South Carolina 1800 Census. Provo, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1973.

I copied many pages of these books to examine closely later. I was getting anxious to get back to the beach but did not want to leave and miss anything important. I scanned the shelves again. The last book I found was:

This book focuses on my Ott family, beginning in the 1300s. However there are few sources to document anything inside. There are not page numbers, making it difficult to navigate and the order of people mentioned is random. I copied some pages and plan to look at it more carefully. The author would like people with connections with the family to contact him and I would enjoy doing that but no contact information is given.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Seth Benner Morrison was born 24 March 1861 in Pennsylvania, son of William Hiram Morrison & Emily Benner. In 1870 Hiram Morrison & family were living in Medina County, Ohio. Hiram was a shoe maker. Hiram & Emily had sons, Thomas, Seth and Eldrid and daughter, Adalade.

He married Margaret Jane Gruissy, daughter of Augustus Ceaser Gruissy & Mary Ann Everett, in 1890. In 1900 they rented a home in Sullivan Township in Ashland County, Ohio. Seth was a rail road section laborer. In 1910 they lived in Westfield Township in Medina County, Ohio. Seth was a farmer on general farm that he rented. HE & Margaret Jane were the parents of eight children, all living. Five were living at home: Albert, Flossie, Paul, Pauline and Peter. All the children had been born in Ohio.

In 1920 Seth and Margaret Jane were living on North Third Street in Rittman, Wayne County, Ohio. Seth was a paper finisher at Ohio Boxboard. Sons, Paul and Peter both worked at Ohio Boxboard also. In 1930 he still lived in Wayne County. He was a farmer.

Creston - Mr. and Mrs. Seth Morrison on Oct. 24 will have been married 65 years. They feel that their 65 years have been years of planning and sharing and have enjoyed their children and their families. While Oct. 24 was the date of their marriage in 1880, they will not celebrate until Sunday, Oct. 28, when a family gathering and dinner will be held at their home two and one half miles west of Creston. Open house for friends and relatives will be held Sunday 2 to 5 p. m. and 7 to 9 p. m. The Morrisons, retired farmers, came to this community in 1900 and have made many friends. They are also well known in Medina County, having lived in a farming community near LeRoy for 9 years. Mr. Morrison is 84 years and Mrs. Morrison is 83. He was the son of Hiram and Emily Benner Morrison and was born March 1861 at River Styx. His good wife was formerly Margaret Jane Gruissy, daughter of Augustus Gruisys and lived her girlhood at Marshallville. They later moved to Wadsworth where she was married to Mr. Morrison at a small wedding in her parent's home with the Rev. G. Smith officiating. Little sorrow has come into the lives of the Morrisons, they had eight children, all living. They are Mrs. Mona Hurd, of Sonia, Mich., Mrs. Lena Swagler, Wadsworth, Mrs. Gusta Peters, Ithaca, Mich., Albert Morrison of Creston, Paul Morrison of Middletown, Mrs. Pauline Mowrer, Clifford Morrison of Akron, There are 31 grandchildren and 35 great - grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison feel it's a great blessing never to have a break in their family circle. Friends wishing to send cards should address them to Creston, Rt. 1.

Seth died on 18 April 1952. His obituary was printed in the Wooster Daily Record:

Seth Morrison, 91, died this morning at the home of his son, Albert, two miles west of Creston. He was a retired farmer. Surviving are four daughters, Mrs. Mona Hurd of Iona, Mich., Mrs. Lena Swagler of Wadsworth, Mrs. Florence Boswell of Massillon, and Mrs. Pauline Mowrer of Akron; three sons, Albert Morrison of Creston, Paul Morrison of Middletown, and Clifford Morrison of Barberton; and several grandchildren. The body is at the Murray funeral home in Creston where friends may call. Services will be at the funeral home at 2 p. m. Monday. Rev. Joseph Gingrich of Sterling will officiate. Burial will be in Wadsworth cemetery.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Take a moment to
look over these surnames. I post them in hopes of discovering new contacts to
expand my knowledge of these names. Some of these surnames are more twigs than
branches on my tree. It is time to let them out to get some sunshine & some
attention.

If you see some
leaves & branches from your trees, let’s share & compare.

F is for these
Surnames…

Faulkenberry

This line begins with Jacob
Faulkenberry [b c 1715]. His son was John Faulkenberry [ b 1740]. John’s
children were born in South Carolina. Some of them changed their surname to
Fortenberry.

Fisher

My third great grandmother was
Isabell (Fisher) Ritter [1828 OH – 1870 OH] who married Isaac Ritter [1823 –
1880 OH]. Her father was John. Unfortunately, I have no other information on
the Fishers.

Flickinger

Bertha (Flickinger) Mark [1904
OH – 2000 OH] married my great grand uncle, Charles Forest Mark [1892 OH – 1967
OH]. About 1965 Bertha wrote a brief history of the Mark family for which I am
indebted to her. I am curious about her family.

Fornea

I have a handful of Fornea
names. Julius Robert Fornea [b 1922 LA] married Donis Bernelda Ball [b 1925
LA]. They had seven children.

A long list of Fortenberry
names, mostly located in southern states, are linked to my trees. They are
descendants of Jacob Faulkenberry, mentioned above. My third great grandfather
is William Jasper Fortenberry [b c 1772 SC – 1842 MS].

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Travel
has become my middle name since I have retired from teaching and since my
children have all moved to different states. Recently I drove to South Carolina,
visiting one of our daughters and our son along the way. I was very excited to
see ‘the kids’.

As
I looked at maps and the calendar my thoughts turned to genealogy. My father’s
family has southern roots. As long as I was there, I was sure I could fit in
some time for research. Between my son’s place in North Carolina and my
destination in South Carolina, I would be driving through York County, SC where
my Brumfield ancestors lived.

I easily found the library and the reference librarian showed me materials that might be helpful. There were no family histories for the Brumfield family. I looked through many materials. In The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research did find a reference to Charles Brumfield in Oct 1802. However I did books on the history of the county which is always helpful in understanding the lives of our ancestors.

· Shankman, Arnold, E. Thomas Crowson, C. Jack Tucker, and Joel Nichols. York County South Carolina; Its People and Its Heritage. Norfolk, Virginia: The Donning Company, 1983.

· Wilkerson, John S. York County Yesterday & Today 1500 to 2005.

I copied pages about the years that relate to my Brumfields.

Browsing the shelves, I found history books from other SC counties. In those books I did find my family: The Ott family from Orangeburgh.

· Culler, Daniel Marchant. Orangeburgh District 1768 - 1868; History and Records. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Reprint Company Publishers, 1995.

· Salley, Jr., A. S. The History of Orangeburg County, South Carolina; From Its Settlement to the Close of the Revolutionary War. Reprint. Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1994.

In general, my stop at the York County Library was good. I did find the history of the area the Brumfields lived and I did find my Ott family. The library was pleasant with a 15 cent per page photocopier and a helpful librarian.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

On
St. Patrick’s Day I proudly wear green: green clothes, green beads and maybe a
green hat. You don’t have to talk to me to discover that some of my roots are
in Irish soil. Just look at my red hair and my freckles. When I visited Ireland
I felt like I fit right in. And, each March, I get gifts wrapped in green paper
and a green cake. Yes, St. Patrick’s Day is also my birthday. This year’s
birthday is a big one. You’ll find me at a beach house in South Carolina with
my family, watching the Charleston parade and having a special dinner with
those I love most.

Clonmel, Tipperary

As
a little girl I thought the parades and fuss were all for me. My great
grandfather, Michael Coyle [b 1870], also loved St. Patrick’s Day. He would
open all the windows of their New York City apartment. Then he’d play Irish
songs on the piano and sing loudly. When his wife, Mary Josephine Mullane [1867
– 1927], would complain he’d say, “I want everyone to know we are Irish.” She
replied. “I think they already know.”

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

From the Accidental Genealogist
in honor of National Women’s History Month. March 12 Prompt: Did one of your mother
or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do?

Helen F, (Coyle) Gardner

My
maternal grandmother, Helen F (Coyle) Gardner [1897 – 1965] was the oldest of
seven children. She worked in the home taking care of her siblings. Each day
before going to school she worked in her father’s bakery. She mixed the bread
dough by hand. Her father bragged to friends that he did not need to buy a
mixer because he had Helen. After she mixed the dough she would make deliveries
on her way to school.

After
graduating from school Helen worked for The Western Union Telegraph Company in
New York City. While she was working there she met her future husband, NathanielGardner, who was a boss. Helen continued to work until their daughter was born.

Years
later, after the family had moved from New York City to the country and
Nathaniel died, Helen went to work again to support their daughter and herself.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Take a moment to
look over these surnames. I post them in hopes of discovering new contacts to
expand my knowledge of these names. Some of these surnames are more twigs than
branches on my tree. It is time to let them out to get some sunshine & some
attention.

If you see some
leaves & branches from your trees, let’s share & compare.

E is for these
Surnames…

Edelstein

My great grandmother was Fannie
Edelstein [1860 Austria – 1908 NY]. Her father was Adolph. She married Lepold
Gartner [1860 Austria – 1948 NY]. I have not done any Austria research as yet.

Brigid English was my second
great grandmother. She was b c 1848 in Ireland and d 1920 in Ireland. She
married Daniel Mullane [b c 1838 Ireland – 1930 Ireland]. They had eleven
children. Brigid’s father was martin English, a carpenter.

Everett

Augustus Ceaser Gruissy [1840
OH – 1915 OH] was my 2nd great grandfather. He was married three
times. His first wife was Mary Ann Everett. At this time I had no other
information on Mary Ann.

1927 Autograph Book page signed by her Mother, Mary Jo (Mullane) Coyle
"May God direct you with Holy Happiness in the path of Life."

Lillian A. Coyle [1911 - 1987] had an autograph book when she was a young woman in New York City. I was
given some pages from that book, signed by her mother, sisters & brother in
law. It is wonderful to have the signatures!

1927 Autograph Book page signed by her brother in law, Nathaniel Gardner
"Ha Ha Ha it Makes me laugh to write in Lillian's Autograph"

1927 Autograph Book page signed by her oldest sister, Helen (Coyle) Gardner
"When all your friends forsake you Pray! DO not seek another But go to the friend who loves you, Your only friend, your Mother"

One day Michael Coyle entered a
boarding house. As he entered Mary Jo Mullane was walking down the stairs to the lobby.
He looked up, saw her and thought she was beautiful. It was love at first
sight. He was a baker and she kept house. They had seven children.

This
prompt calls out to me. I like interesting & unusual names. My mother’s
name was Alberta JoyGardner. I’ve never heard of
another Alberta. She was named for her father’s deceased brother, Albert Gardner.
She usually went by Joy. Her parents were childless for seven years and when
she was born her middle name had to be Joy!

Her
are a handful of names from my family trees that I find interesting:

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